52Ancestors 52Weeks - Military

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Military.

Today is Memorial Day where we remember those who have served in the Military to keep our country free!

Several members of my family have served in the Military and I am very proud of them.  Early on we had Benjamin Foster who was involved with one of the first naval battles in Maine during the Revolutionary War.  Both of my 2^nd Great Grandfathers were in the Civil War. John Counts was in Savannah, Georgia and Horatio N. Moore was in Mobile, Alabama.

I probably have relatives in the First World War but haven’t found the records yet.

My father, James Mathews and his brothers, Tom and William all served in the military during WW 11.  My father was in the Navy and was stationed stateside, New York City and Washington D.C.  The other two were in the Army and served overseas.

My cousin William Mathews Jr. also served in the Army during the Viet Nam War.  I do not have a photo of him in uniform though.

Towards the end of the Viet Nam War my brother Kevin was in the Marines.  He also was trained and served stateside.

              

  

William Mathews, Army   William Mathews, Dad    James Mathews, Navy

Thomas Mathews, Army

Kevin Mathews, Marines

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Road Trip

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Road Trip.

I had been researching the Moore family for many years and found them in New Brunswick, Canada and Savannah, Georgia.

My husband and I travelled all over the country on motorcycle and were always looking for interesting rides.  We decided one year to go to Savannah, Georgia.  I went well prepared.  I had several addresses where the Moore family lived in Savannah and the cemetery where some of them were buried.

Since the Moore family lived in Savannah from 1880 to 1910 there were many changes and not all addresses had houses.  Some were parking lots and one was a business office.  The church, St. John’s is still there.  The Moore children were baptized in that church.

St. John the Baptist Church

We went to the Laurel Grove Cemetery; Aisle 16 Lot 2439.  We started down a long row heading towards the plot and I was so discouraged, there were no headstones, until we got down to the Moore plot.  Hooray, a little fence around several headstones. Horatio and his wife Mary (my 2^nd Great Grandparents) were buried there as were 2 daughters and their families.  It was very exciting to me, not so much my husband though.  We didn’t stay long because it was very hot and buggy.

Entrance to Laurel Grove Cemetery

It was a fun road trip to ride and walk through the streets I knew my Grandfather roamed as a small child.  His parents, Tristram Moore and Genevieve (Counts) were married in Savannah.  Genevieve was born in Savannah, December 1864, the month General Sherman marched through Savannah during the Civil War. 

Savannah Street Scene abt. 1900